Wayward #3

IMAGE COMICS' NEW SUPERNATURAL SENSATION! More students with strange abilities, more creatures emerging from the shadows...Rori can see patterns pulling it all together, but can she discover the secret beneath before it's too late?

Steve Cummings is the artist here with John Rauch and Tamra Bonvillain on the colours, Marshall Dillon the letters, and the cover art by Steve and Ross A. Campbell. The art here is pretty damn fantastic. Steve is a master with the expressive faces and body language, and the colours too rock it all out, producing a really smooth and easy-going atmosphere despite the storm on the horizon, both metaphorical and otherwise. What really sold me in this issue was the action sequence in the second half, which is really awesome and showcases some of the best that Shirai and Ayane can do when called to it. Read Full Review

Yeah, it's not fluke. Wayward is one of the best new titles of the year. Plus, Zack Davisson offers another hugely informative essay on the mythology of Japan in "The Magical Foxes of Japan." Read Full Review

Wayward #3 just speaks to me. It's a thriller with a heart of gold, where just enough character development and arc progression adds up to a downright engaging cliffhanger. In other words: this release soundly comes highly recommended. Read Full Review

This series has been stellar since the start. Each month more and more is revealed of the story and is really building up to be a proper arc with a beginning, middle and end. The characters are well rounded, and while they may not be perfect they all work well together as team. Jim Zub, Steve Cummings, John Rauch and Tamra Bonvillain have created a wonderful world with a wonderful story. I am very excited to see where the rest of this arc goes. This issue goes on sale on Wednesday October 29th and I suggest you pick this up! Read Full Review

One criticism I had with the art is how the exaggerated faces that Cummings' figure pull didn't always mesh well with Zub's snarky, understated dialogue. There is one scene in particular where Shira stops bantering with Roriand scares her toactivate her power. This could bea funny bit of physical comedy, but I ended up laughingatShira's werewolf like face. However, this is one minor problem inan otherwise excellent comic. Zub writes teenage interactionsand problems realistically while balancing the supernatural elements and world-building.Cummings'art continues to explore the wonderand horror of Tokyoas wellas show the characters in dynamicaction. Throw ina few mysteriesand some beautiful sunsets from colorists Rauchand Zub,andWayward#3 is the best issue of the series so far. Read Full Review

I also can't help but feel that Wayward is just genre savvy enough to pull all of this off too. There are little blips of internal dialogue from Rori that give me hope. There's also a nice little twist at the end that makes me think this comic series will veer into a direction I cannot predict, well-tread path or not. Read Full Review

Wayward is definitely moving along at a brisk pace to get a lot done and there's a good bit of dialogue and exposition to help advance things between the two principle characters of the story here. Rori and Shiari definitely hit a quick bond that works and it'll be interesting to see how the other two play off of everyone as the group dynamic starts to work. Amusingly enough, Rori's kind of forced into a leadership position to try and deal with things as the group is still grappling with what it all means, but her hesitation is nicely done as everyone else just sees it as a kind of given with the way their personalities are. Wayward's doing the right things and it's looking good and building events and I like that the potential villain side is just now really making its way into things. It could probably use a little more decompression to take time dealing with the cast in more diverse ways, but it also wants to get to the fun that you can have with the group together. Read Full Review

You don't have to be an anime or manga fan to get into this series, but an appreciation of that side of things certainly doesn't hurt. At its core it's a fish-out-of-water story with a magical edge, and its appeal is pretty broad. And while "Wayward" is following a familiar trajectory at this early moment, the energetic art and careful pacing keep the pages turning. Read Full Review

Why cant this be a weekly comic!? Image is tapping into a corner of geek culture that oddly enough hasnt been explored enough. As of the current three issues released at the moment, Wayward seems to nicely fill that void. Count me in for issue four and onward! Read Full Review

Wayward #3 was kind of a stinker. It certainly built on the previous 2 issues, and left readers with a lot of questions, but there's no evident overarching story even remotely apparent, and chance meetings by real-world magic-users, mystery powers, and more awkward school days just aren't what I want to see. Wayward #3 was Wayward #1 and 2 all over again, with a bit more angst, a bit more action, a lot less substance. There's a team being built, but we have no idea why, how, or to what end, and it seems like no one, not even the intriguing characters themselves, care. I'm willing to give Zub the benefit of the doubt for caring so much for his own characters and wanting to build a story around them, and the art was its usual brilliant spot-on emotional depictions, action panels, and supernatural awesome, but Wayward #3 was a more-of-the-same, unconvincing repeat of the previous issues in the series, and I was hoping for more. Read Full Review

Wayward remains that book that's just on the line. It's not all the great, but it's not that bad either. It has potential and an interesting idea that can take it far or make it at least an enjoyable time, but it remains hamstrung by bad pacing and lack of development. I still hesitate in recommending this series, though it's still one to keep an eye on. I have a feeling that once it takes off, it'll be amazing. Read Full Review

Cummings' work this issue continues to succeed in conveying a wide range of emotion for these characters. However, I found the fight scene in this issue too reminiscent of generic 90's anime in its use of an uninteresting and vacuous enemy who lacked any personality. If the fox spirits' brief appearance in this issue is any indication though, I think things will get a lot more enjoyable for readers at the Monster Mashers' expense next issue. Read Full Review